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Carlos the Jackal

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Vet: "Still sitting" out in the desert? Doesn't read so smooth. Suggestions?

 

Loonie: Nice setup. I'm tempted to skip ahead, though, and just have them wake up back in their room with bruises and bits of memory. Not that Green has much of a chance if Terrick knows esoteric martial arts techniques and was cold sober :)

 

Anyone remember what time of the morning Squad 1 are officially on duty and under Major Ivan's tender care?

 

End of chapter feels quite close so wrap up any character development or save it for the next.

 

JFG.

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Vet: "Still sitting" out in the desert? Doesn't read so smooth

Yeah I know, that's why6 I avoid writing for Trigger when Gia's about! You're good with her so if you think of what aould be better just PM me and I'll stick it in happily.

I'm ready for the next chapter I guess. Trigger's on his way to England and Rick's on his way to bed to wonder where the hell Gia took his room mate :)

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Hey, I just thought of something to do with lasers.

 

I was wondering what kind of sound they'd make. Of course, you think about it, and the laser shouldn't make any sound or, at most, a small hum. But we want the lasers to show big, showy, bright streaks of deadly photons, right? But the only way for the laser to make the air glow is if the air was heated by the laser. And, of course, if the air is heated enough to glow, then it'd probably expand a lot. Which would mean that it makes a similar sound to a thunderclap. Obviously not as loud as real thunder, but a similar sound?

 

So, what do we want lasers to sound/ look like? Do we want them to be beams of light, projectiles of light, or invisible in the air? Also, do we want them to sound like classic sci-fi "tseeew", a more reasonable silence or hum, or this minor thunderclap?

 

Of course, we have no idea how a weapon-grade laser would affect the air about it, and it may make a more sci-fi-ish sound than we'd expect.

 

So, what you guys think?

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I think the "classic" laser sounds just like the echo you get when you rap a length of steel beam under tension. Not that this is particularly relevant except to Foley artists.

 

More power expended in heating air = less power delivered to target. Not that this makes lightning bolts safe to play with. Larry Niven once imagined his beam guns just ionized a path through the air, then discharged lightning down that ionized path. You could try that.

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How about having the laser ionize the air, then sending a brief stream of anti-particles down the ionized path that explode upon impacing solid or liquid matter leaving wounds that would otherwise take an autocannon shell to inflict?
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How about having the laser ionize the air, then sending a brief stream of anti-particles

Even at rifle's length, I personally wouldn't want to be ANYWHERE anti-ANYTHING, even at subatomic form.

 

Especially since there's nothing to stop the antiparticles to go off as soon as they leave the weapon.

 

Feel free to correct me on this.

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That's what the laser is for. It ionizes the air causing, in our universe, the air particles not to react with the anti-matter. In the real universe it's different, but let's be honest, a plasma rifle should melt off the users arm due to the sheer heat of the hydrogen particles fired. Science is already out the window, if the explanation sounds good, let's use it.
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The ionizing strips off the outer electrons! And the antiparticles are anti-electrons! And they flow down the outer atomic shells of the ionized air molecules without interacting with them! (Except the odd one that detonates and makes the beam visible.) And they finally do interact with the non-ionized target!

 

Sorry, got a little excited there. :) One anti-electron can't hurt much...can it? But they do add up.

 

In space, I guess the beam would just have to go straight to reach the target, no ionized path to follow. The Plasma guns might just be the anti-proton version. :) Proton packs, anyone?

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I don't goddamn believe this! I write a freaking long post, and the goddamn board freaking eats it! You'll have wait a couple more days for the freaking training session, goddamnit!

 

I would appreciate it if some disabled the bloody flood control on the board. That's what ate my post, and it's eaten my posts before. I have to pay for my internet time, so I write multiple posts offline, and post them at the same time.

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Oh crap. Now THAT is one nasty thing to experience. I should know from posting XCAS mission de-breifs how utterly annoying that can get. :)

 

Still since then I've learned not to do it on the board, but to instead type it on notepad just like you would on the board. It removes the problem and though it might not look as nice it's still quite handy. :)

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Ouch. <sympathizes> Zager. Notespad is the way to go.

 

(What, Vet? Me moan? :o Although I did have an annoyingly short post, and should be spanked. ) Loonie Quick! Edit your post to read "Chapter Two" or something!

 

Hankosha, not quite how I pictured the second chapter starting off, Zager's post would set the scene for everyone nicely rather than single-character posts. But more importantly, like Snikers noted, blue-dragon- deterioration-controlled-psychic-abilities-WHOA! If your character is non-human or superhuman, you (a) should have put that in the character background and (B) should probably be in a different fic. Only psionic training will unlock the psionics among us, please be patient. If the dragon turns out to have a radio transmitter and your heart medication, well alrighty then.

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